title: Postural stabilization by trunk tightening force generated by passive power-assist device.
abstract: We are developing a passive power-assist supporter called Smart Suit Lite, which is a compact and lightweight power-assist device that utilizes the restoring force of elastic belts. Smart Suit Lite is designed not only to support muscles but also to stabilize the torso similarly to a corset. However, because a corset is always tight around the waist, negative effects caused by long-term use has been pointed out. In contrast, the tightening force generated by Smart Suit Lite increases only when the wearer adopts a posture corresponding to higher load on the low back. In this research, we performed two basic experiments to evaluate the static balance ability of wearers. As a result, the standard deviation of the lumbar angle decreased by 32.1% on average in wearers with low stability.
authors.forename: Yumeko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Imamura
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nara
authors.forename: Yoshihito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Kazuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takizawa
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D001415:Back / Q000502:physiology; D001698:Biomedical Engineering; D001915:Braces; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000502:physiology; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D004856:Postural Balance; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D060726:Torso